Slipping Through My Fingers
by Boudicca's Revolt
Summary: This is just small snapshots in Percy and Lucy Weasley's relationship. Fifth and final chapter now up. Rating for some language. Please REVIEW!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all characters

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all characters. Guess what song is attached to this entry.

Percy stood on Platform 9 3/4, his hands shoved into the pockets of his Ministry robes. His tired eyes searched the windows, falling finally on a matching set. Lucy, his younger daughter, gave a nervous wave and he forced a smile. He couldn't help the lead weight in the pit of his stomach as he watched the train lurch forward.

She was leaving. They had had a fight that morning, their last morning. It wasn't a big fight and under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have given it a second thought but that morning should have been different. He had told her not to take the crusts off of her toast. She had torn them off anyway. Percy heaved a heavy, hitching sigh.

Molly had always been such an easy child, so similar to himself and his wife that she had seemed like a natural extension of the two of them. Lucy on the other hand, she had always been different. Even at eleven she displayed a frightening disregard for rules and authority. It seemed to Percy that she disobeyed just to irritate him. They were small, seemingly inconsequential snubs but he had a sinking feeling they were just the beginning.

He watched as the train slipped from view, massaging his temples tenderly. He couldn't help but feel she was slipping through his fingers.

A/N: My original Lucy Weasley fic didn't work. This story will just be very brief snapshots of Lucy and Percy's relationship. I hope you enjoyed REVIEW!!


	2. Lost Common Ground

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns Lucy, Percy, Molly and Audrey. I own Headmistress McCreadey and that's pretty much it.

Percy was furious. He had not felt so angry since, well, since Lucy had gotten him called out of a meeting the last time. His long purple work robes billowed behind him as he marched quickly down the hall toward Headmistress McCreadey's office. In his furry, he almost missed the large stone gargoyle. "Nimiety" he barked, causing the gargoyle to jump to the side. Within a few seconds, he was outside the Headmistress' office. He wrapped sharply on the door.

"Come in Mr. Weasley," came the low, throaty reply. The door swung open and Percy came face to face with the intimidating Hogwarts matriarch. She was over six feet tall and had a generous frame. She had a look in her eyes that made it quite clear that no lamb's wool would obstruct them. Her dark hair was cut short and hung smartly around her oval face. She wore billowing brown robes and matching, square spectacles. In short, she was everything Percy liked in a headmistress. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Please, sit down." She gestured to a chair sitting in front of her palatial desk with a carefully manicured hand.

"I am very sorry that you had to call in the first place," Percy stated, bowing his head slightly and taking the seat she had offered him. He sent an ice-cold glare toward his daughter who was now sitting beside him.

"Yes, well, I have called you here to discuss Ms. Weasley's latest antics," McCreadey began, pursing her lips in a very McGonagall-esque way. "Are you aware of what she has done?"

"I believe the letter said something about floo powder," Percy replied, closing his yes and bracing himself for the full story.

"Yes, your daughter broke into all of the professors' offices and stole every last speck of floo powder. She then proceeded to vanish it all, costing the school hundreds of galleons not to mention the inconvenience and danger of halting all fast forms of communication. It could have ended very badly if we had needed to get a quick word out or if there had been cause for a mass exodus.

"Oh please!" Lucy spat, standing up from the chair.

"Young lady, you are treading on very thin ice," Percy said through gritted teeth.

"No, she's going on like it would have been this huge catastrophe. If there had been an emergency, professors could have sent protronuses and there are much quicker ways of getting all of the students out of Hogwarts than floo. Looking at the school's supply, I don't think you would have been able to get even half of the student body out of the school. As for the expense, think of the toll all of the professors are taking on the ozone layer every time they floo!"

"Ms. Weasley, that is quite enough. I have not brought your father here to argue over the severity of your crime," McCreadey leveled Lucy with a stern look. "Now please take your seat before you displeasure me further. Now Mr. Weasley, Lucy is suspended for two weeks. After such time, she will be allowed back at Hogwarts under strictly provisional circumstances. If she puts one more toe out of line, she will be expelled, no questions asked. She will also be expected to repay the school for the floo powder by working for the house elves: cleaning, cooking, doing whatever odd job they need done. Do you agree to these terms Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes, I think they are more than fair. Also rest assured Headmistress that during Lucy's suspension she will be receiving further punishment. She will return to Hogwarts a model student."

"Thank you. Ms. Weasley's bags have been forwarded to your house. I will see you again in two weeks. Oh, and as it is OWL year, Ms. Weasley's work will be sent daily along with some extra essays to occupy her time." McCreadey stood and gestured toward the door. Lucy groaned before kicking back her chair. Percy exited first and Lucy, wanting to get as far from McCreadey's office as possible, followed behind him.

Percy didn't turn to look at her until they were half way down the hall. Lucy was beginning to think he had lost the gift of speech. Just as she had grown to like the idea of a mute father, Percy whirled around with a murderous look on his face. "I cannot _believe_ you did this. This-this goes above and beyond."

"I did it for a good reason," Lucy shot back.

"You broke into professors' offices! You _stole _from the school. You got _suspended_. How do you justify that? Well, these are all things that we can discuss when we get home." He pulled her roughly into what Lucy recognized as Professor Sinistra's office. Percy pulled out a satchel from his pocket.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Lucy hissed, looking shocked.

"We're going home and since you disposed of all of the school's floo-"

"Have you not listened to _anything_ I've said?" Lucy asked, the tiniest bit of hurt creeping into her voice. Percy's eyes narrowed.

"We are going to floo home because we can't apparate within the wards young lady."

"I will not use that, that earth-fucking _death_ powder!" Percy groaned, his features darkening.

"_Fine_ but I am telling you that your punishment will be ten times worse if we have to go into Hogsmeade to do side-long."

"Fine, I will never use that stuff again," Lucy stated primly. Some small part of Percy's brain felt a twinge of pride at her resolve but on the whole, he was more furious than he had ever been with either of his children. He proceeded to march Lucy out onto the grounds and toward the gates, all the time holding her upper arm tightly. He didn't think she would try to run but he never knew what to expect from his fifteen-year-old. As soon as they were past the gates, Percy apparated, still tightly gripping her arm.

They reappeared in a tidy, well decorated study. Its walls were lined with mahogany book cases holding various knick-knacks and books organized alphabetically and by topic.It had always been Percy's favorite room in his house. Today, however, he could not think about his wife's impeccable taste or marvel at the extreme comfort of his brown leather chair. He could feel himself positively shaking with anger. He let go of her arm after pushing her into a chair. She didn't even have the decency to _look _penitent. "Lucy Anne Weasley, what can you possibly tell me that could justify what you have done?"

She looked up at him, her eyes so full of pain that Percy nearly forgot his anger . . . nearly. "I've already _told _you Dad. Every time anyone uses floo, toxic CFC's get released into the air that are destroying the earth's ozone layer faster than even the muggles were able to. I sent letters; I went and talked to McCreadey and any of the professors who would listen. I did everything I could to get them not to use floo but they didn't even _listen_. I had to do _something_."

"So your idea of doing something was breaking and entering before _stealing_? For Merlin's sake Lucy! I was called out of a very important meeting and hauled into your school to get chewed apart by your Headmistress."

"So this is all about you is it? It's always about you and how we make _you _look. Well Dad, you know what? I don't give a _damn_ what you look like anymore. I only care about things that _matter_. Punish me if you want to but I am not going to change. What those professors were doing was _wrong_."

Percy cradled his head in his hands. He just could _not _get through to her. "You are confined to your room for the rest of the day. For the remainder of your suspension you are to do all of the house chores including cleaning the bathrooms without magic. You are also coming to the Ministry with me twice a week to scrub cages in the Magical Creatures Department. Go to your room now, I can't look at you anymore."

Lucy stood without speaking, holding in her tears until she reached her bedroom. She would often look back on that afternoon as the turning point in hers and her father's relationship. It was when both realized that there was too much holding them apart for them to ever be close. They were too different to find common ground.

A/N: Thanks to my two reviewers. You know who you are! As you can start to tell from this chapter, this is not an upper of a fic. If you want one of those, read Love Lives of the Messrs Potter or Killing Arthur Weasley. I just got a really clear vision of what Percy's and Lucy's relationship would be. Thanks for taking the time to REVIEW!!

Love,  
Liz


	3. Downpour

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns both characters

Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns both characters. I will be very impressed if someone knows which song inspired this chapter (hint is in the title).

It was a day emblazoned on Percy Weasley's memory. The day that separated him irreparably from the picturesque life to which he had, for many years, so devoutly clung. Years later he would remember it, the pain still palpable. But on that day, he had stood by, silently letting her walk out on his life.

He had gone to work just like always, pulled on his nicest dress robes, combed his hair in exactly the same way. When he had flooed out of the house, Lucy was still sleeping soundly in her room. Mysteriously, their bickering had slowed to nearly nothing over the past week. He was feeling surprisingly good. He should have known that the peace was not to last.

When he had returned home, Lucy had been standing in the doorway to his study, her suitcase in her hand. She had covered her auburn locks with a scarf Charlie had brought her from his latest trip to Romania. She had been wearing a pair of unwashed jeans and an old, blue sweater of Audrey's. She had looked at him almost apologetically. "Dad," she began softly, taking a step toward him.

His eyes wide, he had taken a step back. He had raised his hands in front of him, warning against any further approach. She had visibly deflated but he could find no words of comfort for her. "I-I just can't stay here anymore," she continued so quietly it was almost a whisper. "We're too different and I'm . . . suffocating here. I'm sorry I couldn't be like Molly; I'm sorry I failed you so completely. I-I wish I could have fit into your happy family."

Percy still didn't know why he hadn't spoken up. He didn't know why he hadn't just brought her into his arms, pulled her close to him and whispered to her that she _did _fit. He didn't know why, before she had even finished her goodbye, he had walked out of the room . . .

Guilt, Percy Weasley knew all about guilt. He had dealt with it enough in his earlier years to write volumes on the subject. As guilty as he felt about abandoning his family, about foolishly clinging to a corrupt, spineless power monger instead of believing his own family, he felt a hundred times more guilty about abandoning his daughter, his Lucy. In his heart of hearts, he knew that whatever she did, she did out of the devout belief that what she was doing was right. His pride got in the way though, as it always did.

Over the years, he would try to make amends, to patch the gaping wound his cold silence had created. But it was to no avail; the damage was done.

A/N: Thanks for the review MBP! Now lets try to get some more!!


	4. Burning Bridges

Disclaimer: JK owns everyone except Brian.

Percy was caught alternately between white hot anger and near-crippling, icy fear. He raised his shaking hand and knocked weakly on the door. He had been there often, Harry's office. Never, not in his dizziest daydreams, had he thought that he would be there for this, though. "Come in," Harry's voice barked from inside. Percy greatly respected his brother-in-law as most did and he had never before understood why people claimed to fear him; he did now. Something in Harry's voice spoke to a very Dumbledore-esque power, authority and volatility.

Percy opened the door. Harry was standing against the far wall, his back to the old, cork board of "Wanted" posters. The faces in the photographs glowered down at him but Harry's steely stare was trained on another figure. Lucy was sitting, magically bound, to a chair behind Harry's desk. She was hiccupping and her eyes were puffy and bloodshot. Her hair was going in every direction and Percy could smell the days-old sweat and cigarette smoke wafting off of her. For a moment, and just a moment, he forgot why he was in the Head Auror's office at close to midnight; he had the urge to wrap the small, frail girl in his arms and take her home.

"Percy, I'm sure you understand the gravity of the situation." Harry spoke in a low growl befitting his position. Percy could only nod curtly. "I am remanding her into your custody until the hearing tomorrow."

"What?" Lucy shuddered. Her voice was so changed that Percy would not have recognized it if she hadn't been sitting right in front of him.

"I would not test me if I were you," Harry warned. "What you have almost done is beyond my understanding and you are very nearly past my sympathy. You will go home with your father until two o'clock tomorrow at which time an Auror will come and fetch to bring you to your trial. The only reason why you are not looking at life in Azkaban is because you have come forward and named names. If this had come to pass, you would have been beyond anyone's help." Lucy didn't have the nerve to say anything more. Percy nodded curtly and pulled Lucy up rather roughly by the arm, forcing her out of the door. Once at the apparition hot-spot, they both disappeared, reappearing in his study.

He didn't say anything; there was nothing to say. He began pacing and Lucy, utterly exhausted from the day's events, could only stand and watch. Finally, Percy forced his eyes from the floor and took in his daughter. She had dark circles under her eyes. Her clothes, obviously very second-hand, were dirty. Though he knew her to be well into her twenties, she seemed more like a disobedient child. He wanted to take her over his knee like his petulant little girl. The time for that had passed though.

Lucy stared back at him, not quite meeting his gaze. She wanted to explain everything to him. She wanted to yell at him. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to do so many things she no longer had the energy to do. Mostly though, she wanted to tell him that he had been the reason she had backed out of their horrible plan.

It had started innocently enough. They had been petitioning the Ministry for years to reassess their energy and environmental policies. They had been met with absolute disinterest if not outright amusement. It had been time for more drastic action. Brian had come up with the plan. It had all seemed so simple; no one was going to get hurt.

A few nights before the deed, however, the plans had changed. Instead of bombing a small section of the Ministry building at night, they were to bomb the Atrium in the middle of the day, destroying all of the floo portals. She had panicked. For hours she paced, agonized over the decision at hand. Brian and the others were the only people who understood her, who accepted her for who she was. If she came forward, the only family she had known for years would be gone. In the end, though, the decision had not been so hard after all. All she had to do was imagine her father's funeral, all of the words she so desperately wanted to get off her chest going unspoken. She had turned herself into Harry the night before the bombing.

She still didn't know quite what she had been expecting. The look of mingled furry and disbelief had been worse than she could have possibly imagined. Now, to be here with her father, she had no words.

"How could you?" he murmured, dropping his gaze. She looked up, focusing on the large balding patch on the crown of his head.

"I-I couldn't," she stammered, her voice low and croaky. The effort of the words proved too much for her and she crumpled before him in a dead faint. He lunged forward and caught her before she hit the ground, marveling at her weight. He carried her gingerly to her bedroom, slid her under the covers and, for the third time that night, he saw her as his little girl again. He wanted to protect her so desperately but, at the same time, knew there was nothing he could do.

The members of the Wizengamot were not feeling very merciful the next day. The hearing had not gone well and, as Lucy sat awaiting her sentence, she did not harbor much hope. "Six years under maximum security at Azkaban after which time Ms. Weasley will be let out on parole and will be constantly monitored for another two years. Let this act as a warning for those who think of disturbing the peace of the wizarding world." A lead weight dropped in the pits of both Percy's and Lucy's stomachs. They exchanged a singular glance before Lucy was dragged bodily from the court room. The space between them had grown so impossibly larger that neither knew if it could ever, ever be bridged.


	5. Close to Alright

Disclaimer: I own Riya and Brian. The other characters belong to JK Rowling.

_Sometimes I think that I know  
What love's all about  
And when I see the light  
I know I'll be all right._

**_-Neil Young_**

"What is her name again?" Percy asked, resting his chin on his hand.

"Sunshine Posy," Riya replied, filling the doll's teacup with orange juice. "Would you like some tea Granddad?"

"Yes, thank you dear." The five-year-old filled Percy's cup and adjusted the pink boa around her neck slightly. They were sitting in Molly's old room turned play room. Percy had squeezed himself into a very narrow, squat wooden chair sat at an equally small wooden table. He was situated between Sunshine Posy and Cabbage who was a stuffed, pink bunny rabbit.

"Where's Grandma?"

"She had to go and do a little shopping."

"Okay . . . do you want to play dress up?"

Percy raised his eyebrows slightly at the already very dressed up little girl. "How much more can you fit on yourself?" he asked.

"Not me silly," Riya stated matter-o-factly. "You are not dressed for a tea party." Percy groaned. For some reason, his granddaughter's visits always ended with him in some ridiculous get-up. "Please," she begged, looking up at him with her wide, blue eyes. He rolled his eyes but couldn't help the slight grin that spread across his face. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She jumped up from the table, nearly upsetting Cabbage's tea cup.

It had been two years since Lucy had been let out of Azkaban and her parole was up that day. She had come out of prison nearly unrecognizable. Six years of ruminating on not just the events that landed her there but also the ones that had molded her throughout her whole life had taken their tole. She had six years to wonder why she had never gotten along with her parents, with her sister, six years to wonder why the things that mattered so much to her seemed to matter to so few others, five years to miss Riya . . .

The first few weeks in Azkaban had been almost unbearable. She hadn't been able to keep anything down. It reached such a point that she had a sympathetic Daily Prophet reporter campaigning for her release. A healer's quick physical revealed the reason; she was pregnant. Brian was the father. This child, this innocent human being had two criminals for parents. She would spend the first five years of her life away from her mother with the same people who would never understand her. Lucy had had only a week after Riya's birth to get to know her before she was taken away, sent to the long-suffering Percy and Audrey Weasley.

The minute she got out, she had retrieved her daughter but the bond that had been forged between her little girl and her parents could not be forgotten. She was forced to maintain a relationship with them. So, at least once a week, she dropped little Riya off at Granddad and Grandma's house and a few hours later, picked her up. She listened to her little girl's stories about baking with Audrey, playing dress up with Percy. Lucy had to admit that part of what was so painful was that Riya, after just five years with the two, had a better relationship with them than she could ever hope to have.

"Oh Granddad, you look lovely," Riya gushed before dissolving in a fit of giggles.

"Why are you laughing little miss?" Percy asked, pulling off a half-believable glare.

While the situation that had landed him with his granddaughter had been less than ideal, it almost seemed like a second chance, redemption. In forging a relationship with Lucy's daughter, in maintaining at least some tie with his wayward daughter, he felt there was hope for them. The minute Riya had fallen into their laps, she had captured his heart. When Lucy had been released, he had thought for a brief, heart-wrenching second that she would disappear with Riya in tow. Of course, as long as she was on parole, the likelihood of that actually happening was slim. He had tucked away that particular fear for two years. Today though, as Lucy was at the Ministry getting the tracking enchantments taken off and signing final paperwork, the fear crept back.

He couldn't imagine his life without her weekly visits. He couldn't imagine not knowing what the two of them were doing, whether or not they were both safe and sound. Part of him believed in Lucy's desire to make Riya happy, that she wouldn't separate her daughter from two people who she loved so deeply. However, the other part of him knew that Lucy hated him enough to have planned to kill him once.

"You look sad. Would a kiss make you feel better?" Riya asked, climbing into his lap.

"A kiss would make me feel so much better my darling." Riya planted a gentle kiss on his cheek and he felt his heart would burst.

"Riya? Dad? Where are you?" Lucy's voice echoed through the house.

"We're in here Mum! Come and look at Granddad!" Riya bellowed back. Percy heard the tell-tale slap of Lucy's sandals as she moved from the foyer to the play room. He looked up as she stepped into the doorway. She was still impossibly thin and dressed in an oversized peasant skirt and tatty, linen tunic. Her long hair was tied in a messy braid that hung down her back.

"Hello Lucy," Percy greeted, standing with Riya in his arms.

"Hi Dad. We really need to get going; Riya and I have our yoga class."

Percy nodded absently, trying to suppress the anxiety that had lodged itself in the pit of his stomach. "Goodbye love," he gave Riya a squeeze and a kiss on the top of her head before lowering her to the floor.

"Bye Bye Granddad. Say goodbye to Grandma okay?" Riya hugged his legs quickly before crossing over to her mother, placing her hand in Lucy's outstretched one.

"Oh I will. I love you, both of you."

Lucy pursed her lips and nodded. "We'll see you in a couple days Dad."

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed! It's over now and I hope it left on a sufficiently hopeful note. I know I didn't have a whole lot of Audrey in this fic but she kind of seemed like a non-character to me, I don't know. She might appear in a future fic. Please tell me what you think; I'm dieing to know. It won't hurt you. It will only take a couple of seconds. REVIEW!!

Thanks,  
Liz


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